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Life shortlisted for national award

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Children playing with smoke rings during a Santa Experience session at Newcastle's Life Science Centre.
Life's iconic logo is featured at the entrance to the science centre.
Life communications
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Life Science Centre has received a prestigious accolade in the national Cultural Enterprises Awards 2025.

At a ceremony at the Museum of Liverpool last night (March 12), attended by 400 people, Life was a finalist in the Best Event category for its hugely popular Santa Experience, a new event that combines science and festive entertainment.

The Santa Experience, which was enjoyed by almost 3,500 visitors in December 2024, provides a unique Christmas experience for families as well as introducing very young children to science in an engaging way.

Santa and elf doing a light refraction experiment at Newcastle's Life Science Centre.

A highlight of the event is What Santa Sees, a 360° fulldome show in the planetarium, created by the Life team, which has gone on to be bought by planetaria across the world. The event also includes a visit to Santa’s workshop, created by the in-house team, with science demonstrations delivered by Santa and his elf.

The annual awards celebrate excellence and innovation in the sector and shortlisted entries were selected for their creativity and originality as well as their commercial success.

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